Dr. Jacobs, a twenty-five year educator, is living out a lifelong dream as Live Oak Leadership launches as a model campus for students and educators. As a child of two lifelong educators, Amy has been a part of the education world her entire life.  Her passion for innovation and establishing a learning environment which meets the needs of each student has led her to Hill Country Educational Leadership and Live Oak Leadership Academy.  Dr. Jacobs has served as a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, a campus administrator, a district administrator, and most recently, a school superintendent.  It was during her time as a superintendent that she discovered firsthand that educators truly do hold the key to unlocking innovation and student engagement to successfully prepare our 21st century students for their future.  During her career, Dr. Jacobs has served numerous education and community organizations, including the UIL State Executive Committee, Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), President of the Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club Board, and Highland Lakes Legacy Fund Board.  She was named Region XVIII Superintendent of the Year in 2017, and served as the Superintendent member of the Coahoma ISD Board Team of 8, named the TASA Honor Board for the state of Texas in 2017.  Amy and her husband, Bryan Jacobs have three children: Rylie, a Texas Tech graduate; Grayson, a high school senior  and McCray, a high school sophomore.

Passionate about education from a young age, Dr. Cryer has made a career out of teaching and learning. During her fifteen years as a Texas public-school educator she shared her love of reading and writing with seventh graders, oversaw a district wide Advanced Academic program, and provided teacher trainings on gifted and talented education – focusing on relationships and individualization/differentiation of instruction. While attending graduate school, Patti discovered yoga and has since pursued certification as a yoga therapist with a specialization in trauma-informed care. She looks forward to combining the worlds of public education and yoga through participation with Hill Country Educational Leadership, an organization that promotes a safe/fun learning environment for all stakeholders. Patti believes in considering the whole child in a learning environment – a holistic approach – that includes the opinions and interests of students, as well as their curriculum needs and learning styles.

Bio coming soon

The love of children and their thirst for knowledge/learning drew Marti to public education and kept her there for 33 years.  Marti found her passion in the classroom for 26 of those years. Working primarily as a math teacher, she taught a wide spectrum of populations from middle school self-contained special education to gifted/talented students. As education entered the digital age, Marti moved to the high school level as an instructional technologist allowing her to work with teachers and students merging technology and curriculum. She spent her last five years in education working with middle school teachers and students as an instructional coach practicing many diverse ways to solve problems. 

​

Marti believes that students learn not only through literacy but through real world application, problem solving, and teamwork. She is committed to HCEL’s strong belief in addressing the whole child and HCEL’s stated mission of  ‘developing leadership skills with a 21st century emphasis on communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.’

Bio coming soon